Women Served by Crossroads for Women

The women at Crossroads for Women are homeless and suffering from mental illness and substance addictions.  They are survivors of childhood seuxal and physical abuse and are frequent victims of domestic violence and recurring trauma on the streets.  Most come from an impoverished, abusive, and substance using family background and have not learned the life skills needed for community living.  They have typically acquired a criminal history making it difficulty for them to obtain housing and employment.  Without intervention, the women cycle between homelessness and incarceration and their children are at a high risk for a generational cycle of mental illness, homelessness, and criminal activity. 

Although challenged by many barriers, the women aso come to Crossroads for Women with many strengths.  They are most often resilient, resourceful, and interested in helping others, particularly women in similar circumstances.  They are open to learning, responding positively to therapy, are very determined to make progress.  Recognizing and building upon these and other client strengths is a fundamental philosophy of Crossroads for Women.

The Crossroads- Community based living

The Crossroads community based program serves homeless women with co-occuring mental illness and substance addiction.  Prior to entry into the program, they have been living in their vehicles, in homeless shelters or directly on the streets.  Because of their unstable lifestyle, they frequently cannot or do not access regular psychiatric care and medication and turn to substance abuse to self-medicate.  They often seek health care only on an emergent basis and suffer from a number of chronic health conditions.  They frequently struggle with cognitive impairments as a result of their substance use and history of trauma.  The instability of being homeless combined with a lack of education or work experience makes it almost impossible for them to gain employment or maintain employment long enough to save the neccesary money for getting an apartment.  Approximately 60% of the women have children in their custody. 

Maya's Place- Congregate living site

Maya's Place serves homeless women with co-occuring mental health and substance disorders who are transitioning from jail or prison back into the community.  Released women are expected to comply with conditions of probation or parole, achieve financial stability, access health care, attempt to reunite with their families, obtain employment, find safe and drug free housing, and in many cases, mantain recovery from addiction and mental illness.  However, most women find themselves either homeless or in dangerous environments and without support.  Many of the systems designed to assist individuals get back on their feet exclude those with criminal records.  The women have little education or job experience and now have a criminal record impacting their ability to find work or housing.  Without needed support they are drawn back into a life of criminal activity for survival which then leads back to substance abuse.  Although women do not have their children with them at Maya's Place, work begins there on reunification and children are frequently on site for visits.